Bacterial Canker symptoms and treatment
Corynebacterium michiganense pv. michiganense
Seed borne organism that attacks Tomato plants. Can survive for short periods in soil, and longer periods in leaf debris.
Symptoms of Bacterial Canker
- Wilting
- Curling of leaves
- Browning of leaves (often only on the one side)
- Small, circular raised white spots can appear on stems and unripe fruits
- Fruit can develop white spots with a brown centre (called a “bird’s eye spot”)
- Areas of leaves above the 2nd – 3rd truss may show dull green and water-soaked areas which can later appeared dried out and deadened
- Reddish-brown discolouration appears inside stems
Remedies for Bacterial Canker
Very hard to treat and control as is highly infectious.
- Use only disease free seed stock
- Remove all diseased plants at the groundline and contain in bags for disposal.
- Maintain a healthy distance between other plants in the vicinity
- Disinfect all stakes, ties and all other equipment that has come in contact with the diseased plant
- Remove as much soil as possible, and avoid planting solanum family plants in the immediate patch for at least 3 years
- Superficial infections can be treated with copper spray.
